Former head girl at Christ the King High School, Hayley Murray, takes a stand against the increase in university tuition fees by joining in a peaceful protest

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A FORMER head girl at Christ the King High School joined a peaceful protest march in a stand against the decision to increase university tuition fees.

Hayley Murray, who is studying performance at Northumbria, took a seven hour journey to London to protest against the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition plans to allow universities to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year from 2012.

Hayley, 19, said: “I felt that I needed my voice to be heard.

“I knew about the march because the NUS (National Union of Students) organised a national competition for each university to make a video on how they feel about the tuition fees.

“Northumbria decided to create new lyrics to put to the Band Aid song ‘Do They Know It's Christmas’, it is called SOS – Save Our Students and it can be found on YouTube.

“We came second in the competition and because of this, our video was shown in Trafalgar Square on the day of the march.”

Hayley is in her second year at the university, after completing her A-levels and one year stint as head girl at Christ the King High School.

Hayley said: “My main concerns about the tuition fees are around my little sister and my cousin when they want to go to university.

“The rise won’t affect me, but it will probably affect them and they deserve to go to university and create better futures for themselves.”

She added: “Uni will only be for the rich, just like the old days.”

Hayley also condemned the aggression at the organised marches: “I am appalled with the violence” she said.

“I actually felt disgusted when I heard about it all.

“I think it definitely will undermine the good work that all the students put in.

“What is most annoying is that it wasn’t even students, but it was activists who boycotted our peaceful protest, but the government probably won’t see that.”

WHAT do you think of the student protests? Email your views to visiternews@southportvisiter.co.uk or send them to Southport Visiter offices, 26 – 32 Tulketh Street, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 1BT.